


Psyched

by DingoJohnson



Category: Bob's Burgers (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Language, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2020-03-09 17:52:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18922075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DingoJohnson/pseuds/DingoJohnson
Summary: Millie has managed to maintain seven years of friendship with Louise. But as her feelings become more complicated, she isn't sure if a friendship is what she's really after. Neither is Louise.





	1. Denial

**Author's Note:**

> Doing just for fun and personal writing practice. Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Millie decides to skip school with Louise and her tedious companion.

_It's not like that. It isn't. It couldn't be._

Millie had never thought of Louise in an amorous way. The idea had been mulling around in her brain throughout the evening and into the morning. She and Louise had been great friends for seven years strong now, albeit with a little hair pulling in the beginning, but surely if there were any romantic feelings she harbored, they would have manifested themselves by now.

Sure, for a couple of years she might have been a tad obsessed—no, not obsessed— excited, yes, that was the word her therapist used— about being friends with Louise, but that's long over now! She had since handled herself and her excitement quite well, thank you very much. There's nothing to be assumed about a girl staring at her best friend while they sleep, or getting a little jealous of their friends. What friend doesn't get a little jealous? It's a healthy part of any relationship—any friendship. It shows how much one cares. It's not like she wanted to make out with Louise or anything for crying out loud.

Therapy was not completely useless, being a vile of sorts Millie could pour her secrets into, but this insinuation was out of line. Her doctor might have a PhD in clinical psychology, but she was no expert on hard-earned friendships like the one Millie shared with Louise. For all of the helpful insights she had, this one just felt disappointing and instead, had now marred Millie's belief in her doctor's capabilities. Sometimes therapy could feel like a real waste of time.

But never mind all of that. Millie didn't have the brain space to focus on the lies of her therapist. No, today was a special day. As she tiptoed through the halls at school, she looked down upon her masterpiece sitting in her mom's nine-by-twelve baking dish, wrapped in cellophane, gripped between her fingers. Twenty-four painstakingly decorated chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, adorned with rainbow sprinkles, a pink heart with little bunny ears squeezed onto each cake, except the ones in the center. These cupcakes each have a letter to bare. Their message displaying the significance of today. A timeless message for a timeless gesture. They are absolutely perfect.

Millie crept up to her usual spot by locker three-five-nine. Silent as a cat. She waited for just the right moment to pounce.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

"Millie, what did I say?" Louise shut her locker door, unstartled. "I told you, no flashy birthday surprises."

Millie's light eyes dilated at the sight of her friend. Not that her eyes needed help looking any bigger, something her bestie commented about on occasion. She couldn't help it, though, with Louise right in front of her, now a cool sixteen, still as extraordinary as ever. Hoop piercings in her signature bunny ears hat, more mauve than pink these days, covering her cute boy-short black hair. It was growing back, but it still looked good.

Louise stopped and eyed the contents of Millie's hands. "What are those?"

"Hop-cakes!" Louise's bubbly friend held the tin up to her face and smiled so big you could see her retainer, mouth wide open. There was a beat as Louise stared at these "hop-cakes", bemused. Millie continued, without drawing a breath, "get it? Like 'hot' cakes! Well, except they're actually cupcakes and they're not really hot anymore—anyway here, try one."

Without waiting for a response, Millie peeled back the cellophane, pinched one of the rabbit-eared cupcakes between her fingers and held it up to Louise, whose expression shifted from slightly annoyed to slightly pleased. She took the cupcake.

"Free dessert before lunch? Can't say 'no' to that."

Louise began to peel back the wrapping around the base of the cupcake. She held it up to her open lips, all the while, Millie watched with an ear to ear grin. Louise took notice. She stopped. Millie's grin drooped just barely. Louise looked at the cupcake, then at Millie.

"What's in these?"

"Flour, eggs, chocolate, sugar, you know, baking stuff."

Amused, Louise smirks, "Wow! You could start your own baking show with that recipe."

Millie sighed "Oh come on! I spent all night getting these right, the least you can do is try one. It's not like there's poison in them for god sakes."

"Alright, alright." Louise bit down on the chocolate cupcake, pink frosting now touching the tip of her nose. She began to chew.

"Or is there?" Millie's tone suddenly darkened.

Louise's eyes widened as she swallowed. "WHAT!?"

Millie began to cackle. "Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Louise started to cough and wheeze, her gagging becoming more and more exaggerated. "How could you do this to me! I trusted you! AARRRGGGHHUUUBleeghhhh!" Louise collapsed onto her locker, passed out, cupcake in hand.

Millie peered over her best friend. "My god... what have I done?"

"Yaahhh!"

Louise suddenly lunged forward and plunged her fist into Millie's stomach as if she were holding a dagger.

Millie sputtered, "Uugh! You... got me!" She fell to her knees and collapsed over Louise, who returned to her limp state. Other students passed by, undoubtedly wondering what the hell they were doing.

The two began to share a laugh, which lasted quite a few seconds. Their laughter petered out and Louise looked at Millie.

"Ah, that was fun. Now get off me."

As they rose, a gangly, tall, regular-sized, red-haired boy approached the duo. He had his usual one-quarter inch gauges in his ears, a plain grey T-shirt, and faded cargo shorts.

"Happy birthday, Louise." He gave a smile.

Louise seemed indifferent. "Thanks, Rudy."

Millie looked at her dear friend, almost offended. "You didn't say thank you to  _me._ "

"It was implied," Louise reassured her.

Rudy greeted Millie with a warm smile and a "hey," but Millie could see right through his sweet and innocent charade. He seemed nice, but deep down, he was no different than all the other boys. They all wanted the same thing. And no, it wasn't cupcakes.

"Hello, Rudy." Millie chirped through a forced smile.

Louise offered the boy a cupcake, but Millie quickly withdrew.

"Actually they're poisoned, so you probably don't want one."

Rudy gave an earnest look as his eyebrows raised. "Ohh, I don't think my mom will let me have poison. Also I'm probably allergic."

"Myeah," Millie replied, as she feigned an apologetic tone.

"They're not poisoned," Louise rolled her eyes at Millie, "But on second thought, they've got eggs in them, so maybe you shouldn't eat any."

Rudy retracted, "Good call."

_DIIIIIIINNNNNNGG_

The school bell chimed through the loud speaker, summoning the livestock back to their pens. Louise stood there silently contemplating, unaffected by the bell. Rudy cut through her thoughts.

"And on that note—I always wanted to say that— shall we head to class?"

Louise finally detonated, "Ugh, I should be out there in the world, enjoying what's left of my fading youth! Not wasting my birthday at school." If she had a book in her hands she would have thrown it to the ground. "Life's short, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Louise turned in the opposite direction of class. She looked back at her companions. "You guys down to ditch?"

Rudy gasped. Millie's eyes went wide, a cupcake now lodged in her cheek.

"Was that a quote from Ferris Bueller?" Rudy asked.

"Nah, I said that. Just now." Louise began to walk away.

"Oh, I thought Ferris Bueller said that." Rudy called out.

"Nope," Louise retorted.

Rudy anticipated for a moment. No doubt weighing the immorality of the activity he would inevitably cave in to committing. Rudy turned his unsure eyes over to a frosting-faced Millie. She stared back at him uncomfortably. Rudy breathed, then steeled himself, "We can't leave her alone on her birthday." He followed after Louise.

Millie stared, looking a bit perplexed. Her gaze sharpened as she realizes the gravity of this possible setup. She'll be damned if she let Rudy spend a whole day alone with her best friend, playing hookie together. Who knows what might happen between them. She couldn't even bring herself to think about it. The thought made her stomach churn.

NO.

That was not going to happen.

She trailed behind after them. "So um... who's Ferris Bueller?"

* * *

A fine day this turned out to be. She wanted to celebrate her best friend's birthday, but all Millie could think about was keeping tabs on how many times Rudy and her managed to garner attention from the birthday girl. Things started off great at the movies, gaining some praise when she showed them her secret route to sneak into the theater, but let's be honest, it was nothing compared to seeing Louise close Rudy's eye for him during all the scary parts. Millie could have faked being scared, but she knew Louise would never buy it, being that Millie is basically the only one of Louise's friends who will watch horror movies with her.

She gained the upper hand again at the arcade when she managed to win Louise a huge stuffed Bakeneko by maintaining her perfect Die Dancing score. But after they left, they happened to walk past some smokers, which caused Rudy to have an asthma fit. A bit dramatic honestly, but Millie had never seen Louise so defensive, it almost made Millie wish she herself had asthma. Louise cursed at those smokers and only stopped when they asked why the three of them weren't in school.

Now, for some obscure reason, Louise let Millie and Rudy share a carousel, and she seemed quite content with herself about the decision, to be honest, choosing instead to sit next to Bakeneko.

Millie, however, was the exact opposite of content. She and Rudy were in the two-seater above Louise, settling into awkward silence once Millie finally conceded to her position. She had sat down first, thinking Louise would follow, but NO , she had to let Rudy on instead.

_No. No, no, no, no, NO!_

This was wrong! All wrong! It wasn't supposed to be like this. Millie was supposed to be sitting next to Louise on the Ferris wheel, not Rudy! She couldn't slow her breathing as she argued with the terrible angle at which she was sitting, not getting a decent view of her precious friend no matter how far she craned her neck. She wanted to protest, but with the ride being constantly in motion, all she could do was whine in silence.

Silence. Hopefully, this was how it would stay until the ride was over.

"I used to be afraid of these things, you know?"

No. Apparently not.

Rudy continued almost as if he was speaking to no one in particular, "yeah, being so high up for so long in this tiny bucket used to kind of scare me. But not anymore."

Millie smiled politely, pretending not to notice Rudy. They were only one quarter of the way up. _This ride. Is so. Damn. Slooow._

"Nope," Rudy went on, "Rudy is wild and free. Skipping school and looking cool. Nothing can stop me now, baby!"

Something faltering in his voice that caught Millie's attention. Just then, a thought crossed her mind. You know what? This day had not gone the way she had hoped for one moment since Rudy approached them this morning. Enough moping. It was time for her to enjoy herself. It was time to have some fun.

Grinning, She turned her head towards Rudy, "Well, good for you! You know, not many people can say they've conquered their fears." Millie stared out over Wonder Wharf, the whole seaside, and all of Ocean Avenue, bathed in the afternoon sky spread out in front of them now, trying not to think of her own fears. Lucky for her, they didn't involve ferris wheels.

"I always kind of liked this ride," Millie explained, "It's so colorful, and calm… so peaceful," with both hands, she griped the bar locked in front of their waists, "and it's got these nice seats that rock you back and forth." The squeaks of rusty bolts pierced Rudy's ears as Millie swung her legs back and forth, gently rocking the seat.

_Squeak… squeak._

Rudy griped the bar as well. "Ha... yeah. I guess it could be sort of calming."

Millie shifted her gaze back to Rudy. She looked him in the eyes as she swung her legs, with more force now, never blinking and ever smiling.

 _SQUEAK-EEK… SQUEAK-EEK_.

"Isn't this fun?" Millie called out to Rudy, over the sounds of the aching bolts, as she laughed into the wind. The carousel was really tipping now. Sunken into his seat, Rudy grasped the bar for dear life.

The boy laughed nervously, "Um… Millie, do you think you could uh.. Not do that?"

"Do what? This?" Millie gave her biggest swing yet, rocking the carriage to an almost complete 180 degree swing. "Woooooo!"

"Ahhhh!" Rudy began to sob, "Yes! That! please don't do that!"

"Why not? It's so exciting! Look how high we are!" She gleefully exclaimed, "Could you imagine if this rust bucket broke right off while we're all the way up here? Wouldn't that be something?"

"Oh my god oh my god oh my god."

"Hey! You guys better not be having fun without me!" Louise's faint cry could barely be heard behind all of the creaking metal.

"Oh look! We're coming down." As they begin their slow descent, Millie stopped swinging the seat, excited to be getting off. Maybe next time Rudy will think twice before he decides to sit next to her on a ride. Millie leaned forward as she anticipated the exit. Their seat swooped down into the loading area, and glided past, taking them right back up again.  _What? How many times are we going to go around this thing?_

Rudy, thankful that Millie stopped swinging the seat, sat back up to face her. "Hey Millie, can I ask you something?"

 _What now?_ Millie leaned back into her seat. She decided to humor him.

"Hm?"

Rudy readied himself, "How come… you don't like me?"

Well, well, well. It seemed this boy was not as dense she initially thought. Was this all Louise's intention? To trap her here with Rudy so that she could be interrogated atop this fun-wheel with no escape? She did not ask for this. Though, despite her predicament, she had to admit, this was certainly the way to do it. Well-played, Louise.

But Millie wasn't ready for this confrontation just yet. "Rudy, whatever are you talking about?"

"I mean, not everyone has to like me, obviously, it's just, I dunno. It seems like I must have done something to offend you. And I would like to know what that is, so we can maybe clear the air?"

She wasn't quite sure what to make of this. Was he serious? _You're what's standing between me and my best friend, you nut-sack._

Millie remained silent, but Rudy kept pressing, "Is it something to do with Louise?"

_SKREEK_

The Ferris Wheel did it's routine stop, letting its passengers get a birds-eye view of the town. Millie flinched. She gazed blankly as the breeze nudged her curly blonde hair. She felt as though she should be panicking right now. But instead, she was more confused. Yes, it DID have something to do with Louise. It had everything to do with Louise. Why couldn't she just come out with it? Why was she afraid to tell him? Sure, she didn't want to look like a petty bitch, but that hadn't stopped her before. No, there were other assumptions she didn't want him to make.

Or perhaps she did.

Millie managed another deceptive smile, "What makes you think that?"

"It just seems that you get a bit defensive when I'm around Louise. That's all."

"That's all?"

"Yeah."

They sat quietly for a brief moment.

Rudy started, "It's okay. You guys are best friends, and you don't want anyone to steal her away from you. I get it. But don't worry-"

Before he could finish, Millie sharply turned to face him. Her gaze startled the poor boy. She abruptly laughed, and with the most sincerity she had probably ever given Rudy, she assured him, "Oh, Rudy," as her smile faded," you could never steal her from me."

The air felt frigid between them. Rudy didn't know how to respond, a bit unsure of what she meant.

Millie broke the tension. "You know, because she's her own person. You can't steal another person."

Rudy breathed a sigh of relief, "Right… exactly."

Just then, the ride clinked forward into its usual, leisurely pace, bringing them back to the ground.

Louise stepped out of her carousel, pulling Bakeneko with her."Sounded like you two had a fun ride, huh?"

"Yep!" Millie chirped, only slightly sarcastic.

"It was interesting, " Rudy considered. "I think I finally got over my fear of Ferris Wheels."

"I thought you were already over that," Louise corrected him.

"Me too..." His voice trailed off. "But I definitely am now."

They notice the time. It was 2:46pm. School would be letting out soon.

"Speaking of fears," Louise gestured to her big blue friend, Bakeneko, "I gotta figure out how to sneak this guy into my house without anyone questioning me."

"Hey you tell your parents it's your choice who you choose to bring home to your bed," Rudy joked. A beat passed between them. "I'm just kidding, don't do that."

"You can leave him at my place for now," Millie suggested. "Let's see, it's Wednesday, so mom should be out grocery shopping right around this time, and you know my dad's never there."

"Perfect!" Louise cheered, "That sound good to you buddy?"

Rudy replied, "Yeah, sure, I don't care."

Louise raised an eyebrow, "No, Rudy, I was talking to Bakeneko."

Rudy nodded, "Ah, that makes more sense,"

"Yeah."

"Oh no!" Rudy gasped, "I forgot! My dad was supposed to pick me up from school today!" Rudy sped away from his friends.

"Oh damn. Hurry! But don't hurry too much, take it easy on those lungs!" Louise called after him.

"I'll see you guys later, Happy Birthday again, Louise!"

"Byyyee." Millie watched him peel off, away from Wonder Wharf. Away from her and Louise.

_Finally._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and constructive critiques (emphasis on constructive) are welcome!


	2. Subconscious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Millie finally gets a brief moment alone with her Louise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a chill one, this chapter. You’ll see what I mean.

"Mom? You home?"

Millie yelled across her house as she peeked through the front door. Silence. Good, her mom was still out getting groceries. Millie flicked on the light in the hallway and let Louise in behind her. They made their way towards the stairs.

"Hey, Muffy," Millie sweetly addressed her cat. Muffin leapt down from the stair banister and scurried up the steps like she had something to hide. Probably not though, she was just like that.

In Millie's room, Louise began searching for an inconspicuous place to put Bakeneko. Millie remembered the first time Louise had ever stepped foot in her room, and all the times she had been there since that day. As their friendship grew, so did Millie's image of herself. The more time she spent with Louise, the more Millie realized who she was. What she liked, what she didn't like, and how different they both could be. She even redecorated her room to suit her own tastes more. Although they weren't the same, Millie still appreciated the parts of Louise that had nothing to do with her. She realized that two people don't have to be the same to be a perfect match.

"You can just place him on the bed there," Millie instructed.

"Out in the open? Your mom won't wonder where he came from?"

"She won't come in here. Not unless I want her to."

Louise shrugged and placed her stuffed friend by Millie's pillows. She plopped herself down back-first onto the bed. "Ugh, I don't wanna go home."

Millie sat down beside her. "Work?"

"Work," Louise replied, pulling out her small, dated flip-phone. "Unless I can get Gene or Tina to cover for me."

"Well, at least you'll get some nice birthday tips," Millie suggested.

Louise finished sending her text and sighs. "I do not feel sixteen. Sixteen year olds drive cars and go to parties. They drink their parents' booze and do gross stuff like make out."

Mille looked down at Louise.  _Make out?_

"I mean, not that I wanna do any of that dumb stuff anyway." She reached for Bakeneko and held him on her abdomen. "It just feels like there's all this pressure to grow up. Parties are boring, and alcohol tastes like piss water, I just don't get it."

"You and me both," Millie agreed. She had never thought of herself as a proper teenager either. Truth be told, she really didn't give two you-know-whats about what other teenagers were doing. And she was pretty sure neither did Louise.

"have you drank before? Alcohol I mean," Millie asked.

"Just once. I went to some senior party with Tina. She was always the one to do that kind of stuff. Not me." She chuckled, "It's funny, I'm pretty sure my parents expected me to be worse than she was."

Ah. So she isn't meeting her parents' expectations. Probably for the best, they'd surely agree.

"No, you don't go to parties," Millie smirks, "You just skip school."

"Haaa," Louise smiled.  _Yes._

Louise seldom let her force field down, but when she did, it was like a gift. There they were, just the two of them. No Rudy. No siblings to distract her. Just the way Millie liked it.

Though as much as she loved being a confidant for Louise, Millie couldn't let her bestie wallow in her negative thoughts. It was time to lighten the mood. Slyly, she reached for one of the pillows on top of her bed.

Louise stared up at Millie's ceiling fan, watching the blades go round and round. "Eh, I guess I should probably get go—oof!"

Millie slammed the pillow down over Louise, her bunny ears poking out from underneath. Millie giggled as Louise struggled, until she snatched the pillow off of her face. She propped herself up and whipped around to look at her assailant. "What the hell!? You trying to smother me?"

Millie grinned.

Louise grinned.

"Rah!" Louise lunged at Millie, diving pillow-first onto her face, as she pretended to smother her back.

Flailing and thinking of an escape route, Millie's fingers found their way to Louise's torso.

"Ahhhhaha—NO! uh-uh!" Louise protested, feeling the tickle of fingertips on her abdomen. She banged the pillow over Millie's head, unable to control her laughter, "No—haha—You know I —ahaha—I hate that! I swear to god, I will SLAP the shit out of you!"

Millie was thoroughly enjoying this, laughing maniacally, unaffected by her threats, "Oh yes, Please do!"

They playfully struggle and tumble to the floor as bunny ears fall from Louise's head. Hatless now, she released the pillow and grabbed both of Millie's wrists. Four hands slammed down to the carpet, landing over her blond head. The whole world stopped as Millie laid face to face with Louise. She had never been this close to Louise's face before; this close to her eyes; this close to her lips. So close, she could feel the warmth of her breath leaving her body. Her body. She fully realized now, Louise was sitting on top of her. What is this pounding in her chest? Was that her heart? Had that always been there? She had never noticed her own heartbeat before. It was beating so fast now.

A swaying movement caught the corner of Millie's eye. Her cat, Muffin, was perched beside them, staring, her tail moving to and fro, ever so smoothly. It was almost as if she knew something they didn't. From downstairs came the slam of the front door.

"Your mom's home," Louise breathed.

"Oh, right" Millie replied, as Louise rolled off of her.

They stayed quiet as the sounds of Mrs. Frock shuffling around grocery bags echoed from downstairs.

"Millie, honey, you here?"

Millie remembered that she didn't re-lock the door. "Yeah, mom! I'm upstairs!"

Millie sat up and watched Louise gather her hat. Her dark hair now messy from their tussle. She wore two extra ear piercings in the cartilage of her left ear, mimicking the ones on her hat.  _So Hot... Wait, what?_

"I guess I better get home." Louise picked her backpack up off the floor and stepped over to Millie's window.

Millie stood, "You could probably just take the front door, you know. I don't think my mom will quiz me for having my best friend over after school."

"Yeah but," Louise lifted opens the window, allowing a breeze to flow inside, "this is way more fun."

Millie smiled to herself. Louise, Always so adventurous. She crawled out the window, one leg and then the other, all the while checking to make sure Millie's backyard trampoline was still in position. She worked herself into a comfortable crouch in which she could hold herself up, and stopped.

"Hey," She called out to Millie for her attention, though she didn't really have to. Louise always had her attention. "Thanks. For the cupcakes. And for today. It was nice."

Millie couldn't believe her ears. She smiled at the bunny-girl now hanging from her window. "Anytime."

"I'll be back for Bak!" Louise yelled as she leapt from the window sill. Millie poured over the open window, watching Louise bounce and hop down to the ground. From up high, she really did look like a little bunny.

* * *

_"Let's make out."_

Millie heard Louise whisper. She was pinned to the floor. Louise was straddling her, holding her down. Millie couldn't help but notice the girl's attire. What was she wearing? Her clothes had transformed into some sort of sexy bunny suit, complete with fishnets?! Millie's heartbeat was out of control.

She looked so… No, no no. Don't think that about Louise.

With one hand, Louise gripped her captive's neck and leaned in. Closer. And Closer.

Millie tossed and turned, her hand somewhere south of her belly button. Sweating and breathing heavy, she came to. Her eyes open now, she sat up. It was dark inside her room, except for the moon light pouring in through the window, still open from when Louise left. She got up and closed it.

How strange. It's not like this was the first time she'd dreamt about Louise, but her previous dreams about her were nothing like that . She had never even seen Louise dressed that scantily. Why would she imagine such a thing? Was that a dream, or a nightmare? She wasn't sure, but the way she felt… let's just say she hadn't felt that way before.

Was her therapist right? Could she be harboring some sort of latent sexual feelings for her best friend, or however her doctor said it? Millie's mind was racing as she lay her head back down on her pillow, unable to get back to sleep. This was doing absolutely nothing for her insomnia. Wide awake now, she noticed Bakeneko staring back at her.

She turned over.

Muffin was awake too, looking at millie from the floor below, her judgmental cat eyes glowing in the night. She almost thought she heard her speak.

_I saw that._

"Oh be quiet," Millie whispered. She buried her head in her pillow.

Well, It doesn't matter now. None of that was real. She was certain if she could just get some rest, she'd forget all about it in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sure, Millie. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Insomnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens and one Tina go searching for a rumored fortune.

_Nine days, sixteen hours, forty-eight minutes and fifty-two seconds. Fifty-three… fifty-four._

It had been a little too long since the last time Millie got a proper night’s sleep. She was busy counting down the hours, certain that with every passing moment she was awake, the shorter her lifespan became. Her eyes were beginning to look like someone punched her in the face. She hadn’t been this sleep deprived since she was a kid, before she started hanging out with Louise.

_Louise._

Once again, it all came down to that name. That girl whose identity was unmistakable, unforgettable, and undeniably…  Louise. Millie couldn’t get her name out of her head no matter how hard she tried not to think about her dream. Oh no, there it goes again. It felt wrong to be thinking of her best friend like this. Once they became close, she swore to herself and to Louise that she would never violate her privacy again. Somehow this felt like just that. Every time she saw Louise, she couldn’t even concentrate. Undivided attention was a commodity she no longer had in stock for her. Whenever Louise spoke, Millie wasn’t even paying attention to the words coming out of her mouth, she was too busy focusing on her lips. What did those moist, pink lips taste like? Sometimes she would even imagine Louise dressed in that scantily clad bunny suit from her fantasy. _Fantasy?_ That word made it seem like she wanted this. Did she want this? Maybe. But she knew one thing for sure: Louise looked stunning in fishnets tights.

“Millie! Are you listening?” Louise whispered, trying not to cause attention in the library.

“Yes!” Millie sprung to life, snapping out of her head. “What’s happening?”

“The plan, Millie. We’re talking about the plan.” Louise was staring at her now, looking to purchase some of that undivided attention.

“You sure you’re okay?” She heard another voice ask. Oh, it was Rudy. She forgot he was there.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine.” Millie said cheerfully, ignoring the fact that her eye just twitched.

“Listen, I’m gonna need you to crawl down off of that cloud you’re on and bring your happy ass back down to earth. We need to talk about operation ‘Rich n’ Ditch’.” Louise had all the paperwork ready. She’d drawn out a map of the old McDowell estate north of town that they learned about in history class last week.

Rumor has it, sometime in the 19th century, the McDowells hid their fortune of bonds within their mansion’s walls that have long since been abandoned. Needless to say, Louise was determined to find it, if there was anything to be found. Though Millie was eighty percent certain Louise was mostly only looking for a thrill.

“I still dunno about this,” Rudy began, “Isn’t this place suppose to be haunted by the two brothers who went insane and killed each other?” Rudy, as usual, wasn’t exactly jumping at the opportunity to break into some dead dude’s house.

“That’s just a dumb legend.”

“Oh right, a legend,” Rudy responded sardonically, “You mean like the fortune hidden in the walls.”

“No. That's _hearsay_ , which is way more probable,” Louise retorted. She put an arm around his shoulder and softened her tone, “Look, Rudy, if you're scared, you can back out now, no judgment,” she reassured him, “but if I drag you out there with me and _then_ you wuss-out, I will never let you forget it. So make up your mind, will ya.”

Millie feigned concern, “Yeah, Rudy. I mean, the old moldy air probably wouldn’t be good for your lungs, anyway. You should stay.”

“I never said I didn’t want to go,” Rudy snapped at the both of them.“I’m just saying—,”

“Shh!” Louise commanded Rudy while waving her hand and peeking around.

Rudy continued, with a whisper, “I’m just saying, let’s be careful, okay?”

Louise patted Rudy on the back “There he is, there’s my guy!”

 _Damn. So close._ Will Rudy regret this decision? Millie wasn’t sure yet.

“So you guys are gonna meet me and my brother in the alley behind the restaurant at eleven.”

“In the morning?” Millie asked

Louise stared at Millie for a beat. “Yeah, you know, I was thinking we could grab some brunch and have a little picnic on the front lawn before we rob the place in broad daylight.” she gibed.

“Oh a picnic!” Millie grinned.

“We’re doing it tonight!” Louise barked.

Millie casually pouted, “What a shame. I really like brunch.”

Louise continued, “Then Tina is gonna drive the car around and pick us up.”

“So, your brother and sister are coming,” Millie noted.

“Yeah, duh.” Louise eyed Millie suspiciously and leaned in shockingly close to her, “Is that a problem?” the tone of her voice surprisingly provocative, even Rudy noticed.

“No, no. No. Just confirming,” Millie smiled.

“Good.” Louise pulled away and rolled up the map. “Because we’re gonna need the extra hands and eyeballs to search that entire mansion before the sun comes up.”

Three potential impedances on Millie’s quality time with the girl she desires. This little adventure is surely to test her patience. And just what did Louise mean when she pat Rudy on the back and called him “my guy?” _Her_ _guy?_ Was there something going on that she needed to be aware of? She had always just assumed that perhaps there was, but seeing something that might possibly be accepted as proof was an entirely new threat level.

“Go home, take a bath, take a nap, take a shit, do whatever you gotta do before we meet up. We got a long night ahead of us,” Louise instructed them as they began to shuffle out of the Library. She stopped Millie. “Hey.”

Millie turned to her and chirped “Hey.”

“When I said ‘take a nap’, I was talking mostly to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Millie, you look like a vampire. A vampire that’s seen some things. And vampires are immortal, they’ve seen _a lot_ of things. You’re not sleeping, are you?”

A wink here and there but on the whole, no, she absolutely wasn’t. Millie stared at Louise for a moment. _I know another trait vampires have that I’d love to show you._

“Louise, is that concern for my well-being I hear coming from you? I’m touched.” Millie grinned.

Louise shook her head, ignoring Millie’s deflection. “Go to bed.”

Per Louise’s instructions, Millie tried her best to take a nap. She nodded off a few times during dinner, which turned out to be a good thing as her mom assumed she went to bed early, since Millie normally stays up quite late. Little did her mother know she continued to get random spurts of energy, keeping her awake until eventually, eleven o’clock rolled around. Millie slipped out of her bedroom window using her trampoline escape route, careful to tie some bedsheets together so she could climb back in later.

Millie arrived at the back of the restaurant early. After about ten minutes, she could hear Louise and her brother crawl through the kitchen window and climb down the fire escape.

“Where’s this treasure again? McDonald’s?” She heard Gene speak.

“The McDowell house. It’s some abandoned mansion outside of town.” Louise landed right beside the dumpster. “Rudy and Millie should be here soon.” She checked her watch, “actually, I’m surprised Millie isn’t here already--.” Just then she felt a hand suddenly latch onto her shoulder. “Ahh!” Louise jumped and whipped around swinging her fist in the air. Millie ducked right on cue.

“Here!” Millie popped out from behind the dumpster.

“Jesus! I almost clocked you. How long have you been here?”

“Ten minutes.”

Louise looked skeptical.

 _“Ten minutes!”_ Millie assured her.

The clicking of a bike chain could be heard as Rudy rolled into the alleyway. “Hey guys.”

“Cool, everyone’s here. Now we wait for Tina.” Louise checks her watch again. “She should be here any minute.”

“So Gene, how’s adult life treating you?” Rudy asked.

“Oh right, I _am_ an adult now.” Gene shrugged, “Eh, it’s okay.” He and Rudy began to catch up as Millie stood observing. She turned her attention towards Louise, who was pacing back and forth across the alley.

“Someone seems anxious.”

Louise took notice of Millie and walked up beside her. “Not really. I mean I did tell my parents Tina was taking us to a party, and we were supposed to be with her, so I kind of don’t want them to catch us all back here in the alley.”

“Your excuse was that you went to a party? That’s ironic,” Millie pondered.

“You’re ironic,” Louise replied.

Millie smiled at her. “Thank you!”

Louise gave her a smirk before checking her watch a third time. “Where the hell is Tina?” She turned her attention to Rudy and Gene. “Everyone got their flashlights?” Louise asked.

Rudy and Millie both nod and show their lights. Gene stands empty-handed.

“I do not have a flashlight. But I do have snacks!” He patted his empty pockets. “Oh no! I forgot the snacks! Wait, I’ll be right back!” He started to climb back up the fire escape ladder. Louise grabbed him by the back of his pants.

“No, Gene! Forget the snacks there’s no time for that!” Right as Louise was finishing her sentence, the glow of headlights flooded the alleyway.

The car slows to a crawl and stops in front of them. The driver seat is empty.

“Oh no! What happened to Tina?” Rudy gasped.

Louise went around the front of the car. “Get up Tina, you’re late.”

Tina appeared from below the steering wheel. “Boo-- oh,” Tina slouched, disappointed that her trick didn’t work.

“I call shotgun!” Louise threw her bag in the car and slid into the passenger seat. Gene climbed in the back, with Rudy following behind, then Millie. The back seat was fine as a kid, but as a full grown young adult sharing it with two others, it was more like being part of a pack of unopened hot dogs. As an only child, Millie had never shared the backseat with anyone before. Actually, she was usually in the front. She just decided that she was grateful for at least these aspects of her upbringing. She kept trying to find the seat belt fastener under Rudy’s butt. He was practically in her lap. God how she wished he was Louise.

“Everyone all buckled up?” Tina asked. “Is it too hot? I can turn the air on. Or maybe you wanna roll the windows down? Actually, you guys are probably cold ‘cause you were outside. Want me to keep the heater on?”

“Go, Tina!” Louise cried.

“Yeah! Go, Tina! Woo!” Rudy cheered.

You go, girl!” Gene hollered, “Ow! Get it, sister!”

Between the random applause going on, Millie managed to make eye contact with Louise. she was shaking her head and looking at Millie who she knew could read her expression loud and clear. _I should have hired professionals._

All millie could do was give her a supportive smile. _I don’t know what’s happening._

Louise broke off the celebration, “Drive!!”

“Right.” Tina put the car in the “D” position and peeled out of the alleyway at a thunderous snail's pace.

It was a thirty minute drive to reach the old McDowell mansion. When they got there, Tina parked outside the front gate. The ancient photographs did not do the house justice, it was way more terrifying in person. The gate was dilapidated as all hell, but for some reason, someone found it necessary to attach a chain and padlock to it, while the house itself looked like the surrounding forrest was ready to swallow it whole any day now.

They each hopped the brick fence one at a time, everyone needing a boost from Gene except for Millie. Louise was intrigued.

“Where’d you learn to climb a brick wall like that?”

Millie flashed her an impish grin, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Louise took an incredulous pause. “Yeah, I would actually.”

They approached the main entrance. Louise shook the front door handle. Locked. Louise began shuffling around inside her backpack.

“No, no, no! Damnit! I didn’t bring the lock pick! Anyone got a credit card? Or a paperclip?”

“I told you I should have gone back for snacks,” Gene complained.

“I don’t need snacks right now, I need a lock pick.”

“Yeah, but if I went back for snacks, then I could have gotten the lock pick.”

“I have a barrette.” Tina held up her hair clip.

“I have my inhaler,” Rudy offered. “Wait you probably shouldn’t use that.”

As Louise was trying to figure out the door situation, Millie was already near the front window, using a pocket knife to flip the latch between the rickety window sash. She saw the lock turn the opposite direction. Success.

Louise pulled out a hammer from her bag. “Was trying to be a bit more discreet but, I guess I could use this.”

“How about the window?” Millie interjected. She already had one leg inside the house.

Louise joined her. She could tell there was something on Louise’s face that wanted to admit how impressed she was. Instead, Louise surveyed her friend that was now hanging out the opening. “Do I wanna know?”

Millie looked amused as she disappeared inside the house. Louise motioned to the others to follow suit. Tina tripped on her way in while Rudy paused to put on a face mask he brought as an extra precaution. Once they were inside, they each illuminated the foyer with their flashlights. Debris from the devastation of time covered every nook and cranny of the place. They couldn’t take one step without walking on ceiling crumbs. Though dilapidated and decrepit as it was, the interior was enormous. Rudy gave a whistle that echoed farther than their flashlights would allow them to see. “Yeah, there’s gotta be some good stuff hidden in here.”

“You think they could have gotten a bigger house,” Louise commented, laden with sarcasm. She turned to the rest of the gang. “Okay, each group should take a floor. Gene, Tina, you guys go with Millie and search down here while Rudy and I take the second,” Louise instructed.

Gene and Tina exchanged worried looks, an “uhhh..” released from Tina’s lips.

“Mmm Louise?” Gene began to protest. “Maybe we could all stick with you in this creepy house?”

“No, Gene. This was the plan, remember? We’re all supposed to split up to make the job easier.”

“Yeah but…” Gene tried to give a signal by darting his eyes back and forth between Louise and Millie, who had her back to him. Millie turned to look at Gene. He gave her a hurried, contrived smile.

“I agree, I dunno about this Louise,” Millie complied. “Besides, I thought we were going to search together.”

“Guys, we’re wasting time here,” Louise explained, “There’s nothing in this house but dust bunnies and a possible $300,000 fortune. I already divided up the search parties.”

“I know, but I thought that _we,_ ” She repeated, pointing to herself and Louise, “were going to search together.”

Louise stood contrapposto, “What? You gonna trap us all in the house if you don’t go searching with me?”

The hall was silent for a second. Flustered, Millie crossed her arms and sputtered, “NO,” slightly offended.

“Good.”

“Fine.” Millie watched as Louise turned and headed in the opposite direction with Rudy. “What was that about? Did she do that before?” Rudy asked Louise in the distance. Louise had to know how frustrated this made her. She did this on _purpose!_ Sometimes Millie didn’t know why she liked that girl so damn much.

Never mind, that’s not true. She knew.

Millie turned around to face Tina and Gene, her flashlight shining in their faces.

“Ahh!” Gene screeched as Tina clenched her eyes shut.

Millie tilted the flashlight up out of their faces, the light now illuminating her face from under her chin. She stared at the duo through the brightness, then flashed a toothy grin, her retainer practically glowing.

“Well, then. Shall we?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	4. Deprivation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lack of sleep would make anyone go mad.

"Where's the fridge?!"

Gene was busy searching the kitchen as Millie directed her flashlight at the dusty countertops and an old coal burning stove range. There were lots of shelves and cabinets, some broken, some missing their doors, plenty of hooks dangling from them, and even a blackened fireplace underneath, but no fridge.

"I think this house is too old for refrigerators, Gene." Tina answered.

"Boo," he whined, "I was hoping to find  _some_ leftovers in here" Gene slumped. "Maybe there's crackers in the cupboards. They had crackers back then right?"

Millie indulged him by shining her light at the cabinets as he searched. Perhaps these McDowells were dumb enough to hide their fortune with their food.

"So Millie," Tina started, "what's new with you?"

Tina was talking to her? Why?

"Oh nothing much. Just searching some dead person's house for treasure without my best friend," she responded.

"Right," Tina replied. It was clear she was searching for something else to say. "How's school?"

'How's school?' Was Millie talking to her mom? What could Tina possibly want to know? In the few times Millie had come over to their house, Tina had never actually tried to have a conversation with her beyond the usual casual greeting. This was highly irregular.

"School is… School," Millie yawned. "It's okay I guess," she responded curtly, trying to put an end to this pointless conversation.

"Good, good," Tina trailed off. Okay, now things were just getting awkward. Tina was climbing up the wrong tree, but she continued to reach for branches. "You and Louise have become pretty close, huh?"

She found her footing. This wasn't exactly breaking news, but Millie did like the acknowledgment from a third party. "Not close enough apparently, since she would rather go searching with somebody else."

Tina sensed the twinge of hurt in her voice and tried to consol Millie. "Well, I'm sure she had her reasons. She usually does."

The sleepless cogs in Millie's brain began to turn. Was it possible that Louise wanted to separate them on purpose? Why would she want Millie to be with her siblings instead of herself? She always wants to be with her brother and sister.

_Gasp._

She wanted to be alone with Rudy!

"AAHHHH!" Gene shrieked from under the cabinet. "Ahhhh-OW!" He banged his head on a shelf when scrambling up from the floor and accidentally stepped on Tina's foot.

"OW! Gene!"

"RAT!" UuAAGGHHHG!" Gene continued to flail around, checking himself to make sure this supposed rat was gone. Mille saw something dark about the size of two thumbs land on the floor. She flashed her light on it to get a better look.

"Aw, it's a spider!" Millie kneeled lower to check it out.

"Ahh! What are you doing? Kill it!" Gene cowered behind Tina.

"Oh it's just a hobo spider. It's mostly harmless." Millie calmly touched the creature and lead it onto her hand. "See?" She held it up to their faces.

Gene squealed. "A squatter!"

Tina watched the spider crawl around Millie's hand. "Aw I guess it is kind of cute. Creepy, but cute."

"Wanna hold it?"

"Eh, I'm good," Tina winced.

As Millie was observing the arachnid she started to hear a faint whirring that steadily turned into a rattled hiss. She stared at the creature in her hand, paralized by the sound. Then a small garbled voice entered her ears, like someone whispering to her.

_Alone… They're alone. Without you._

"Millie? You okay?" Tina seemed worried.

Millie stood frozen, her eyes wide and unblinking. Was this spider talking to her?

_You know what they're up to… Alone in the dark._

Oh god. The spider  _was_ talking to her! And it was absolutely right.

"They're alone. They're alone in the dark!" Millie blurted out loud. She shook the spider off and whipped around to face Tina and Gene. Both of them appeared startled by her suddenness. She seemed to be staring in their direction, but wasn't really. Her eyes gazed through them, past them, into space. Slowly, she lost her grip on the flashlight as it slipped to the floor with a loud clatter.

"What is happening?" Gene's confusion could be heard in the darkness.

Millie had to leave. She had to get to Louise. She had to know what they were doing. Did her best friend really ditch her so she could be alone with Rudy? So they could… ugh she couldn't even bring the thoughts into her mind.

"Millie?" Tina picked up the flashlight and shown it where Millie no longer stood. She flashed it around the kitchen, but the girl was nowhere to be found. "She's gone… uh-oh."

"That was freaky!" Gene was just as perplexed as Tina. "Oh my god. Was she a ghost this whole time?"

* * *

Louise and Rudy were upstairs in one of the old chambers. Her tapping on the wall with her hammer and him listening intently to her taps with a stethoscope pressed against the decayed paint.

"Hear anything?" She asked

"Mm, nothing yet."

"Ugh! This is taking too long!" She impatiently tapped the wall again.

Rudy's eyes widen. "Wait!"

She perked up. "Does it sound like something's there? Don't get my hopes up, Rude," she warned.

"No, no… it sounds like…" he moved the stethoscope around a little, "breathing…?"

"What? Lemme listen." Louise inserted the apparatus into her ears. She could hear the faint sound of inhalation.

"You wanna check it out?" He asked her.

Louise gripped her hammer in one hand and her flashlight in the other. She stepped through the doorway heading into the hall. She searched left, then right, then left again. Empty. Nothing there except more broken wood and uprooted carpeting. She crossed back through the threshold and into the room where she left Rudy. But he wasn't there.

"Rudy?" She called out to him.

Silence.

"RAHHH!"

He popped out suddenly from behind the doorway, crouching and making claws with his hands. Louise stared at him blankly before reacting.

"Oh, my god! You scared me!" She brought her hands to her face in exaggeration.

"Aw man, I didn't get you?" He whined.

"No, you totally got me. Super spooky. Ten out of ten, almost an eleven."

"Okay, okay, you don't have to rub it in." He stood up and gestured to the hallway. "You wanna search another room?"

All of a sudden, a sound echoed from the corridor, like something hard hit the floor. The duo rushed to investigate the source in another bedchamber. The adjacent room had a rather large hole in the wall that had been clearly smashed in post-habitation, revealing a study room through the other side. It seemed the noise came from a bookshelf that tipped over. Louise approached the gaping hole. "It was probably just rats." Rudy's light was fixed on her. She turned to look at him. He was staring at her—no, past her.

"What?" She jerked her head back and forth between him and what he was staring at.

"What was that?" His voice shook slightly.

"What was what?" She locked her gaze through the hole. She didn't see anything.

"I saw something move. Back there. Behind you."

Was he trying to scare her again? She could at least say this about him, that boy was not a quitter. "Look, Rudy, I see what you're doing, and it's cute. But it's just not going to work."

Rudy remained adamant. "No, really! I saw something."

"Yeah, yeah." Louise pressed on through the hole in the wall, skepticism plastered across her face. "Even if you DID see something, like I said, it's probably rats."

"Well that must've been a big rat…" He replied.

"Yeah, they can get pretty big." She enters the study. "Damn, I bet someone else smashed the wall in looking for the fortune!" She began to search the debris inside the wall, then noticed Rudy still standing around in the previous room, not helping.

"Rudy, get over here."

He turned and headed towards her. Then suddenly, he whipped back around. Good God, what was he doing?

"Why are you still looking for that rat when you could be looking for riches?"

"I keep hearing footsteps."

"Yeah, okay." She replied sarcastically. He was really determined to get a scare out of her. "Well tell whoever it is to get over here and help make me rich. Better yet, ask 'em if they know where the treasure is. Then tell 'em I'll give a generous two percent cut—wait no, one point seven."

Just then Louise heard the sound of shuffling and a plank of wood hit the floor near the opposite end of the room. Rudy heard it too. She rotated her head to see the cause. Curious, she decided to check it out. "Okay, rat…" Her light cast brightness upon an alcove, with some old shelves up above that were barely hanging on. She didn't see anything. Louise spun herself around in Rudy's direction. "Nothing."

_CRASH_

"AHH!" She jumped at the sound behind her. The shelves cracked and gave way, plummeting to the floor along with dusty debris, and…

"Millie!?"

Both Louise and Rudy peered down at their dusty, blonde-headed friend, aghast.

"What the hell are you doing up here?! Why aren't you with Tina and Gene?" Louise asked.

Millie sat up slowly in the pile of broken wood, covered in dust. She composed herself. "I was just looking for a nice place to take a nap."

Louise stared at her bizarre friend, incredulous. "Oh my god," she rolled her eyes. "You left them down there?"

Millie paused before deciding to answer simply, "Yes."

Louise let out an exasperated sigh.

"So I left and came up here. What's the big deal?" Millie asked nonchalantly.

"I asked you to stay with Gene and Tina so you could keep them focused on finding the money." She explained. "They're like Alice in Wonderland."

"Because they followed a rabbit through a dark hole?" Millie guessed.

"Hah, I get it," Rudy mumbled.

"No," Louise continued, "they're easily distracted and will probably get lost."

Millie got up from the pile of wood. "Well then why didn't  _you_ stay with them?"

"Yeah right, like I'm gonna leave you and Rudy here to search by yourselves."

Her comment cast silence over the three of them. Millie looked at Rudy for half a second, then back at Louise. "What do you mean by that?" She questioned.

Speaking of rabbit holes, Louise just determined that it probably wasn't a good idea to bring that subject up right now. She decided to change the topic. "Look, forget it." She pulled out her old phone. "I'll just tell them to text me if they find anything." She flipped open the device and noticed she had three messages. One from Gene saying how he couldn't find a bathroom, and the other two were from Tina, the first one time-stamped fifteen minutes ago:

> **Couldnt get much from Millie. Talk L8r. Luv Tina.**

She checked the other message, sent in the last two minutes.

> **Also we lost her. Sry**

A little late, but Louise responded anyway, letting her know Millie was no longer lost. When she finished sending her texts, she couldn't help but notice Millie's wandering eyes darting swiftly away from her phone.

"Everything good?" Millie asked innocently.

"Yeah." Louise assessed her. She placed her phone back in her pocket. "Everything good?" She asked her friend in return.

"Yeah." Millie smiled back at her. She continued to stare at Louise, as if she were waiting for something. Louise did the same.

"I'm good too…," Rudy interjected cheerfully. "No need to ask."

"Great." Louise broke eye contact with Millie and turned to her other friend. "The search continues." She marched past her companions and over to one of the bookshelves, which unsurprisingly still had some reading material scattered about. People damn sure didn't come here to steal the books. There was an eerie little statue on a pedestal that barely missed the path of the fallen bookshelf. She stepped over the face-down bookcase to check behind the rest, looking for any signs of a hidden doorway or safe. There were no clues for either of those, but instead she did notice something strange about the shelf. There seemed to be no space between the back of the shelf and the wall.

"You guys, come check this out."

Rudy appeared beside her, but didn't quite understand what she was looking at. Louise turned her head around to find Millie. She was still standing over by the alcove. "Millie, get over here." She didn't step forward. Instead she stood hunched over and flinching, the faint sound of mumbled whispers coming from her direction. Louise illuminated her silhouette, revealing her wide staring eyes darting back and forth towards the floor.

" _No… I can't… I won't…"_

Louise could barely make out what the girl was saying. She left Rudy by the bookshelf to check on Millie. "Don't tell me you're scared of this place—"

"STOP." Millie barked suddenly, holding her hands out at Louise. "Don't." Her breathing became erratic, like she was spiraling into a panic. Her outburst alerted Rudy who was looking in their direction.

"What the hell?" Louise had seen Millie frantic in the past, most notably when she lost something or when having a cleithrophobic fit. But Louise had never seen her quite like this before. "Are you okay?"

Millie's shallow breathing turned into a chuckle that escalated into laughter. She picked up one of the shelves and swung wildly at nothing as she cried out, "get away!" Louise backed up and almost tripped over the fallen bookshelf.

"Whoa, what's happening?" Rudy stammered.

Louise watched as Millie whaled and waved the plank of wood around like she was fighting for her life. It just occurred to Louise that Millie was running on negative zero. She lunged forward and took hold of Millie, trying to calm her down, but Millie would not quit. "Millie! Stop it! Whatever's there isn't real! You're just tired!"

"Oh no, oh no!" Rudy was backed up against the standing bookshelf, trying to stay out of the way. "She's possessed!"

Their tussle led them to the bookcase where Rudy was cowering. He dodged them as Louise braced the shelf in Millie's hands. She managed to pull it from her, but the force of her yanking threw the shelf into the small statue next to the bookshelf, breaking it. Before they knew what was happening, there was the sound of wood grinding against the floor as all three of them were pushed by the bookshelf into a dark space. The trio landed on the pitch black dirty floor. Louise shuffled around looking for her flashlight, but she couldn't find it.

"Shit! I think I dropped my flashlight." She couldn't see, but Louise could tell how small the room was based on how very little her voice carried.

"Where are we?" Millie asked.

"Well look who it is, Little Miss sleep deprived, come to join the expedition!" Louise was practically hysterical. "I hope you left your imaginary friends in the other room 'cause there is not enough space in here for you to start flippin' out." Millie could be super useful, even entertaining and, dare as she might say, enjoyable at times, as much as she hated to admit, but right now Louise was starting to doubt having brought her along. Then again, she supposed they might not have found this secret room without her. So there was that. Best not to give the girl too much credit, though. Give her an inch and she'll take a mile.

"I think the bookshelf rotated when Louise hit that statue." Rudy answered. A small dim light was coming from under his leg. He moved his leg, but the light didn't get much brighter. "Uh-oh. My flashlight is dying. I forgot I switched these batteries for my TV remote."

"Lemme see that." Louise commanded. She took the flashlight from him, stood up and waved the light around the area, checking the ceiling and the floor. The room was indeed small and sadly empty. No floor hatch or wall safe or anything! Nothing to speak of but a couple of dead cockroaches in the corner. How depressing. What the hell was the point of a secret room if there were no secrets in it? She hoped that perhaps there was another secret spot, and that this one was a fake-out filled with lame treasure that some idiots who came before them mistook for the real thing.

The flashlight's brightness was failing with every second. She figured she had better find a way out of there before the three of them wound up like those roaches. Just as the thought crossed her mind, their source of light gave two last flickers of life. Then suddenly died.

"No! Ugh!" Louise toggled the switch back and forth rapidly to no avail. "Rudy!"

"Sorry." He replied.

Louise sighed and softened her tone. "No no. It's not your fault." She directed her voice towards where Millie was perched. "It's  _yours_."

" _My_ fault?" Millie paused then asked genuinely, "You're talking to me, right?"

"Yes!"

Millie scoffed, "That's not fair! We wouldn't have even found this room if it wasn't for me."

 _There she goes._ "Oh, you mean this room that has  _nothing_ in it?"

"Well what if it did? You'd be kissing my feet."

She could practically hear Millie crossing her arms. Louise spat out a haughty laugh at her comment. "No, I wouldn't."

"Yes you would."

"no, I wouldn't."

"yes you would."

"I would  _never_ kiss your feet."

"Why not?"

"I—  _what?_ "

"Hey! Stop fighting!" Rudy intervened. "Can't you see what this house is doing to us? It's turning us against each other, like the two brothers that went insane and killed one another."

"We are  _not_ siblings," Millie shot back to, to her own surprise, without skipping a beat.

"That's for sure," Louise remarked. Just then, she got an idea. "Speaking of siblings…" She pulled out her phone and began to text Tina and Gene furiously about their predicament. Noting that her battery was closer to the empty side of things, she decided to make her contact quick and then close the phone.

"Do you guys hear that?" Millie addressed the both of them.

"Hear what?" Rudy asked

"You're probably just hallucinating again." Louise said mindlessly, still texting.

"Well that's why I  _asked_." Millie retorted.

"Wait," Rudy added. "I do hear something."

Louise finished her text and put her phone away. "Great, you guys are both hallucinating."

Suddenly, a loud rumble came from above them, like moving furniture. "Okay, I heard  _that_. Is that the sound you guys were talking about?"

The grinding got louder and seemed to be coming from above them.

"This house is haunted, I know it." Rudy blurted out.

Louise knew there had to be a rational explanation for what they were hearing. "It's not haunted. It's probably just Gene and Tina trying to find us."

Millie thought about her comment. "Would they find us that fast? You were still texting them when we first heard the sound."

"Yeah, and besides," Rudy added. "Millie, didn't you leave them on the first floor?"

"That is where I last saw them, yes."

Louise couldn't believe the both of them. "I'm starting to think you guys just want this house to be haunted—"

BANG

The grinding sound had escalated now into a loud pounding, which caused Louise to flinch. She could hear Rudy's breathing becoming more and more shallow.

"Tina! Gene!" Louise cried out. She got no response but the incessant pounding.

BANG… BANG

"Okay, I am not liking this." Louise admitted. "I swear to god, if it's them…" she couldn't even finish her sentence thanks to the banging.

"It's the brothers! They're mad! Mad that we're trespassing, trying to take their money!" Rudy began to hyperventilate.

Even Millie was starting to crack. Again. Her cleithrophobia kicking in. "Oh my god. Are we going to die here?" Millie asked, in a quiet rushed panic.

They were both losing their shit. Louise couldn't take it anymore. She turned towards where the book shelf was and started feeling around in the dark for anything that might flip it around. There had to be a switch or something. There is no way someone would make a secret room without also providing a way out.

BANG… BANG

Shit! There had to be a special book on the shelf or something that flipped the damn thing around. Between Millie and Rudy's whimpers and the eerie pounding and scraping, she couldn't think! Desperate, she reached for her hammer to start smashing her way to freedom. Suddenly, she felt a grip on her shoulders, her whole body turned. Something wet and soft pressed against her lips. Louise pulled away and swung wildly in the dark. "Aauughh! What the FUCK?"

BANG

She backed into something protruding from the shelf. Two spines connected as one of the books that had been tipped over went back into an upright position upon her bumping into it. In an instant, light flooded back into view as they were pushed by the book shelf once more, landing back into the study. The banging stopped.

Rudy immediately took a hit from his inhaler, relieved to be out of there. Louise had fallen on the floor, along with Millie, who seemed in no hurry to get up. Louise grabbed her abandoned flashlight and furiously jumped to her feet.

"Rudy! Did you grab me?" She had her light flashed in his direction as if she were a cop asking for his license and registration.

"Wha—no I didn't, I couldn't see anything."

Louise brushed herself off. "I know you were scared and all, but that was NOT the time."

"I didn't!" He cried.

"Well  _someone_ grabbed me and kissed me!"

Millie sat up, "Kissed you?" she repeated.

"Yeah, that's what I said." She passed her gaze to Millie, "Was it you?" She shined her flashlight in Millies face.

Millie squinted and raised her hand to her eyes, blocking the light, "Louise, I'm so tired I can barely stand right now. Even if I wanted to, I don't have to energy to kiss you. Sorry to disappoint."

"You don't think it was … the ghost… do you?" Rudy seemed rather spooked.

Louise held her gaze at Millie for a second longer before turning away.

"Great. I've got a horny ghost after me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a long one! Thanks for sticking with it!


	5. Intoxicated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louise has her own agenda.

Louise whipped out her phone as soon as she felt it vibrate in her pocket. 

> **Still stuck? R u ok?**

Tina had finally responded, a little late—again. Louise replied:   

> **Yeah. We fine.**

Sent. To her surprise, Tina responded almost instantly. 

> **Oh good :)**
> 
> **Found basement. Something you should see**

“They found it!? Oh my god they found it!”

Louise ran downstairs, her two cronies following behind. The basement wasn’t tricky to find, being located beneath the main staircase on her blueprints. Thoughts of the money raced through her brain. Would it be in cash? Like really old cash that’s probably worth way more now? Or maybe even gold bars?? 

When she reached the last step, she could see her brother and sister looking down as she approached them. Gene gestured to the floor. There was a hole and some broken wood, clearly ripped up from the floorboards. A metal box sat beneath, already pried opened. Nothing left inside but a single note:

> _Too late, suckers! -Calvin was here._

“CallviiiIINNNNNN!” Louise cried. 

Tina noticed the name. “Is that Mr. Fischoeder?” 

Louise was still fixated on her loss. “Goddammit. A metal box in the floorboards? Really!? That’s not even creative!”

“Sorry, Louise,” Tina tried to console her.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be in the walls?” Rudy noted.

“Floors are walls, depending on where you’re standing,” piped Gene.

“Maybe they just said it was in the walls to throw everyone off,” said Millie. 

“Whatever.” Louise turned away, “That fortune’s long gone now. Came all the way out here for nothing.”

“At least now we know the legend was real.” There was Rudy, looking on the bright side, as usual. 

“Let’s just go home,” Louise huffed. 

What a night. Louise supposed it made sense that someone would have found the fortune long before she’d ever have the chance. But still, she’d hoped there would be _something_ left. Now she’d have to go home empty-handed with nothing to show for their expedition except a dead flashlight and the haunting memory of being trapped in that creepy hidden room. Which, actually, the more she thought about it, was pretty damn cool. Except for the part where she got a surprise kiss on the lips. That was freaky and definitely a part she’ll be leaving out of the story. 

Louise called shotgun again and the crew piled back into the Belcher family get-away car. Tina stayed focused on the road while Gene and Rudy were howling away to the tune on the radio. Still plagued by the kiss, Louise didn’t have much to say. She noticed the absence of Millie’s voice not singing with Gene and Rudy, which was odd considering how much Millie loved to sing karaoke style. Perhaps, she thought, because Millie had something else on her mind. Something she had done. Louise wasn’t convinced at all that Millie had nothing to do with what happened in that secret room.

Louise’s mind wandered back to a conversation she’d had with Rudy half a year ago. They were at his dad’s place. Mr. Steiblitz had gone out on a consecutive date with a promising match, which Rudy had assured her meant he probably wouldn’t be back until late in the night. He had the whole house to himself. She figured it would be a perfect opportunity for the three of them to try out some special gummies she’d snatched from her brother. The sweets started to work their magic just as they were in the middle of a game of Two Truths and a Lie.

“I’ve ridden a motorcycle, I have a tattoo, and three ear piercings.” Louise leaned back against the pillows on the floor of Rudy’s room. 

Rudy answered first. “You’ve never ridden a motorcycle.” 

Louise’s relaxed face remained unchanged. She shifted her gaze toward Millie. 

“I have to pee,” Millie blurted.

Louise chortled and looked at her quizzically, “It’s not your turn yet.” 

“No I mean I really have to pee.” 

“Gimme your answer first.”

“Oh I already know the answer,” Millie smiled. “ I’ve seen you without your hat so I know you have a third ear piercing, and I can believe you’ve ridden a motorcycle. But you definitely don’t have a tattoo.”

Louise steadied her poker face. “What makes you so sure?” 

Millie bit her lip. “Well, we have gym class together. I’ve seen you change your clothes.”

“Hey, no fair,” Rudy muttered.

Louise tilted her head forward. “Nuh-uh, I always go in the stalls to change.”

Millie just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. 

Louise squinted at her. “You liar.” 

“You’re the liar,” Millie corrected her with a smirk. “I say it’s the tattoo.”

Louise eyed both of them. “Damn.” She threw her head back. “Yeah it was the tattoo. I want one though.”

“Ha! I knew it,” Millie beamed. “You can’t play this game with me.”

“You got lucky,” Louise shot back.

“Aw, you’re so cute when you’re angry,” Millie teased.

Rudy giggled at Millie’s observation.

Louise’s face felt hot. “Shut up and go pee.”

“I will, but after I take my turn.” Millie sat up and closed her eyes. “I haven't had my first kiss yet, my eyes are blue, and someday, I want to be an actress.”

“Hmm,” Rudy began.

“What!” Louise interjected. “All that stuff is true.” 

Millie continued to smile. 

Louise started counting on her fingers. “You’re in drama, I know you want to act. You’re eyes are blue... I think. And I know _you’ve_ never kissed anyone.”

“Rude. You don’t know that,” Millie scoffed at her remark. “Come on now, I’m not making this very hard.”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure you would’ve told me if you ever kissed someone. So that one’s true.”

“I dunno, I think she might have.” Rudy rubbed his chin. “I think that’s the lie.”

Louise crossed her arms. “Well I think she’s cheating. None of those are lies.”

“Is that your final answer?” Millie asked, eyes still closed. 

“Wait!” Louise extended her hands out in front of her as she took a moment to mull it over. Were here eyes blue? They were blue-ish? She curled her right hand into a pointed finger and slowly looked up at Millie. “I remember!” Wagging her index finger, she spoke, “You’re eyes… are green! Not blue.”

Millie opened her eyes and smiled wide. “They are!” She gasped and clasped her hands together, bringing them to her cheek. “You know me so well.”

“Yeah, yeah. I only remember ‘cause I like green,” she quickly defended herself. “Didn’t you have to pee?” Louise reminded her.

”bathroom’s down the hall, on the right,” Rudy directed her.

Millie tip-toed over them and headed down the hall to the guest bathroom.

“Dang. I’m terrible at this game.” Rudy rolled back on the floor with a groan. He tilted his head toward Louise. “So, tell me more about this time you’ve ridden a motorcycle.” 

“Another story for another day,” Louise assured him.

“Was it someone you had a crush on?” Rudy wiggled his eyebrows.

“Pffft! Hell no,” Louise laughed. “I haven’t had a crush on anyone and no one has had a crush on me, thank god. And I am not complaining.” She seemed quite pleased with herself.

Rudy turned his hazy gaze to the side and scratched his chin. “Mm, I wouldn’t say no one.” 

“Whaddya mean?” Louise slurred.

“There’s at least one person I know who likes you.”

“Who cares,” Louise exhaled and looked up at the ceiling for a moment before cocking her head back toward her friend. “Who is it?” 

Rudy smirked. 

“Oh wait, don’t tell me.” Louise leaned in. “Is it you?” She joked.

Rudy chuckled, “No, no, not me.” 

“Are you telling me I have a secret admirer? Oh Lord.” 

“I mean, they’re not very subtle about it. Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t noticed.” 

Louise raised her right eyebrow and sat up. “Who the hell? Do I know this person?” 

Rudy stared at Louise knowingly. She watched him as he moved his hand and pointed his index finger towards the door of his room. The gears in Louise’s stoned mind turned slowly but surely. Her jaw dropped and she whispered, “MILLIE?! What? No way.” 

Rudy nodded his head in opposition. 

“What the hell? Why would you say that?” 

“Because she does! Come on. She just called you cute like two minutes ago.” 

Louise shook her head. “That’s just Millie. Haven’t you been around her long enough now to notice? She just likes to annoy me for her own amusement.” 

Rudy shrugged, “I dunno, looks more like flirting to me.” 

Louise shook her head again. “Listen, I’ve known that girl for a long time now and I’m telling you, it ain’t like that.” 

“Didn’t you tell me she used to stalk you?” 

“Yeah,” Louise choked. “But that was, like, when we were little kids,” Louise brushed him off. “She’s never been that good at making friends.”

“And I don’t wanna jump to conclusions,” Rudy continued, “but, I think she's jealous of me.”

Louise‘s face contorted. “Wait-what?”

“That’s why she’s shady towards me sometimes,” Rudy said, with a matter-of-fact tone. “I don’t hold it against her or anything—”

“Whoa.” Louise’s eyes bugged out as she held her head in her hands. “Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa… whoa.” She mumbled to herself, “I am too high for this.” She couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth right now. “Okay, but it’s not like we’re dating.”

Rudy quickly corrected himself, “No, I know that. But I’m pretty sure that’s not what she thinks.”

Louise rubbed her temples. “Look, I know she can be a little… hard to deal with, but like…”

“Okay,” Rudy leaned back, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” 

“I mean, it’s fine, I'm just trying to understand your thought process here.” 

Rudy looked down at the carpet for a moment, his left hand rubbing the gauge in his ear. “Alright. Consider all the stuff I just said,” he looked at her straight. “Now imagine her as a boy.”

Imagine Millie as a boy? Ha! Louise wasn’t sure if she could. A demon maybe. Or a cat. Or like one of those soft, squeaky toys that dogs chew on. They’re kind of cute and charming at first, but man can they get annoying. Besides, girl, boy, what difference did it make? If Millie were a boy, she’d still be just as occasionally obnoxious. If a boy followed her around, left notes in her locker, and called her cute…

“Oh... shit.”

Damn Rudy for bringing this thought into her mind! Louise was usually a nosey one, but for the first time, she wasn’t sure if she preferred knowing someone’s secret over staying in blissful ignorance. And what’s more, how could she not have seen it herself? God, it seemed so obvious now! 

Back in the car, her thoughts echoed through her mind as she debated that kiss in the dark. Millie had gotten her first kiss now, hadn’t she? The snake. And she just had to sit right behind the passenger’s seat too, perfect for spying on the occupant through the side rear-view mirror. She forced herself not to look back at Millie. Oh, she was so sure that’s exactly what the sick puppy wanted. Was Millie looking at her already? She had to look at her to know. She decided to take a peek. Millie wasn’t looking at her. Surprising. No, she was staring out her window with her hand on her chin, a solemn look on her face. The moonlight shone through her pale eyes. Her pale, green eyes. They were practically glowing. Before Louise could react, Those two glowing, green circles flicked forward to the side mirror. Shit. Louise swiftly averted her eyes. 

Ever since that conversation with Rudy, Louise had been keeping an eye on her, watching her moves and motivations. But how the shit was she supposed to prove someone has feelings for her, or if they were just an affectionate friend? She’d tried testing her before, leaning over Millie to reach the TV remote, saying stuff to her suggestively, leaving her with Rudy to see how she’d act, but none of that brought her any conclusive evidence. If she could just get something from Millie, a flustered response, or a flushed face, that’d be enough for her to know. Louise had to hand it to her, that girl was good. Millie was too much of a perfectionist control freak to let her facade slip. Louise had never been patient enough for this sneaky, long-con stuff. She was dying, itching, basically craving to flat out make the accusation. She wanted to uncover the truth so badly, it was almost as if she wanted it to be true. Did she…? No. Nope. It’s just the truth, plain and simple. Hopefully Tina was able to get something out of her. 

When they pulled into the alleyway, Tina made sure to shut the car lights off to keep them stealthy. Gene and Tina headed back inside as Louise said goodbye to Rudy. Tina latched eyes with Louise before heading up the fire escape. Louise nodded in response. She stood with her back to Millie who was waiting around for her goodbye. Louise pondered for a moment if she should even give her that. She collected herself and turned around to face her friend. _Here we go._

“Hey. I wanna talk to you.”

Millie looked left, then right as she feigned surprise. “Who me?”

Louise ignored her silly question. “Tonight was pretty crazy, huh?”

“Yeah, though it’s a shame you didn’t find what you were looking for.”

“Yeah…” Louise stared at her. Millie stared back, but her eyes kept fidgeting. Louise could tell her silent stare was wearing on the girl. Was she regretting staying behind for that goodbye? Could she tell what was coming? _This is it,_ Louise thought. She could blast her right then and there. The perfect opportunity. “You free Saturday?”

Millie perked up. “Hm, gee, I dunno. Lemme check my schedule...” Millie started thumbing through an imaginary agenda. “Hmmm, yes! I’m free!” She chirped. 

Perhaps not now. No, Louise decided to spare her demise for another time. “Cool. Great. Let’s do a sleepover. My place this time.”

“Really?” Millie, as usual, was way too excited. She was busy rambling on about the scary games and movies she would bring. 

“Yeah, sounds fun. Listen, I’ll see you later, alright?” Louise turned away to head inside.

“Okay, yeah, see you later!” Millie sang off into the night. 

 

Upstairs, Louise paced back and forth in Tina’s room. She recounted the entire evening to her sister who listened patiently.

“So, you think she kissed you?” Tina asked.

“I KNOW she kissed me.” Louise continued to pace. 

“Aw, your first kiss, and you didn’t even get to see it.”

“Tina!” Louise stopped. “That is like, the LEAST of my issues right now.” Louise turned away from her. “Also, it wasn’t my first kiss.” 

Tina seemed surprised and a little hurt. “What! You had your first kiss and you never told me?”

Louise shrugged. “It never came up.”

“Well, who was it?” 

Louise breathed, then rushed through the explanation. “I kissed Rudy once on Valentine’s day back in fourth grade.”

Tina’s eyes widened. “AWWWW!” 

“ _Anyway_ , Rudy thinks Millie likes me and after tonight, I’m starting to think he’s right,” Louise continued.

Tina was still smiling. “I always had a feeling you liked Rudy.” 

“Tina! Focus! We’re not talking about me and Rudy right now.”

“But you guys would be so cute together. How come you're not dating him? Wait. Are you guys dating?”

Louise groaned. She’d gone over this whole Rudy situation once before. Inside her head. And she didn’t feel like digging it up and explaining it all over again to Tina. “No. We’re not dating.” 

“Why not?” Boy, Tina was really interested in her love life.

“Because… we’re just not. We’re friends, and that’s how I like it.” She knew that explanation wasn’t going to be good enough for Tina to drop it. “Look,” she sighed, “I like the guy, but I just don’t feel _that way_ about him.” She winced at the thought of having sexual feelings for someone as innocent and squeaky clean as Rudy. She couldn’t even put the words “sex” and “Rudy” in the same sentence. “If I had feelings for Rudy like that, and if he had feelings for me, we would have been together by now. Trust me.”

“Okay.” Tina finally let it go. 

“Now, can we please get back to this Millie situation?”

“So… you like Millie?” Tina asked

Louise stared at her sister, rethinking why she enlisted Tina to help her with this. Jesus, she might as well have been talking to Gene. “Tina. What? Hello. Have you been listening to me? Millie is the one who likes _me_.”

“I know. I got that,” Tina confirmed. “So you’re trying to get her to confess?”

“Yeah, I wanna wipe that dumb smile off her face when she finds out I know the truth!” Louise responded triumphantly. 

“Right…” Tina seemed less convinced. “I’m confused. You want her to like you? Or you don’t… ?”

Louise was growing tired of this. “Tina, please try to keep up.”

“I’m trying… It’s just, why does it matter if she likes you or not?” Tina pondered.

“You don’t understand. This is Millie. She’s playing games with my head. She wants me to think she’s just my best buddy, but secretly, she wants to get in my pants!”

“But what if she doesn’t want you to know?” Tina countered. “And she’s trying to hide her feelings for the sake of her friendship with you?”

“Well that's just too damn bad!” Louise stammered. “She started this when she kissed me tonight! I didn't say she could kiss me. She crossed the line, and now she’s gonna pay the toll!” Louise took a step back and stepped on something squishy.

“Ah! My foot!” 

Louise heard a shriek behind her. Gene was standing there in the crack of the doorway. “Wait, Millie kissed you?” He whispered. 

“Gene!” Louise hissed. She dragged him into the room and closed Tina’s door. “What are you doing in here?”

“You pulled me in.” He replied. 

“I mean why were you listening?” 

“You guys were having a secret meeting and I felt left out.” He pouted.

“I was telling Tina about what happened tonight, and yeah, Millie kissed me. But she caught me by surprise.”

Tina bounced off of Louise, “And I was going to say, I agree. She shouldn’t have kissed Louise—if she did—without her consent. But then why doesn’t Louise just talk to her and tell her how she feels about what happened?” 

“To which I would have replied, it’s not that simple, Tina.” Louise retorted. “She won’t just admit to it. I have to weasel it out of her. I have to get the upper hand. I have to win!” Louise slammed her fist into her other hand to punctuate her thoughts.

“What do you think Gene?” Tina asked.

Tina and Louise both directed their gaze at Gene. “Uhh… I think….” His eyes darted back and forth between them. “It’s time for bed. I’m gonna go to bed.” Gene turned around to exit. “Good luck with Millieeeee,” his whisper trailed off.

The room fell quiet for a moment. Louise looked back to Tina. “I’ve got a plan. I’m inviting her over here Saturday for a sleepover. I’ll have all night to get her answer then.” Louise stated as she went for the door.

“Her answer? Or _your_ answer?” Tina questioned.

Louise stared at her blankly. “Huh?”

“Never mind.” Tina crawled under her covers. “Wow, you guys have a very strange friendship.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading!


	6. Id

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One question is answered, five more take it’s place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strap in, this one’s a big’n!

Millie spent the night recounting the entire evening in her mind over and over as she galloped back to her trampoline. This night was certainly one of the most exciting nights she’d ever had and definitely one for the books. As she climbed her rope of bedsheets, all she could think about was how she couldn’t wait to get into her covers and dream about it some more. Yes, indeed she was going to sleep good tonight. Her mind so busy with memories on repeat, it took her entirely too long to realize that the light in her bedroom was on. Uh-oh.

Did she leave it on? Maybe? All of a sudden her memory was failing her. She couldn’t remember anything before their trip to the McDowell house. Crap, crap, crap. Panic had her eyes shifting to and fro, as if it were even possible to search for a physical solution. Should she continue up? Should she go in through the front? Check her mom’s room? Or maybe it was better to just stay outside. Make some noise on the trampoline like she’d been there the whole time. Yes, that was not a half-bad idea. Heck, it was worth a shot. 

Millie let go of the sheet-rope and descended upon the trampoline. It squeaked intensely, enough so that, if her mom was in her room, she must have heard it through the cracked window. Sure enough, in a matter of thirty seconds, a shadowy figure blocked the light coming from inside. Millie pretended not to notice the sound of the window sliding open. 

“Millie? What in the world are you doing out here?” She heard her mom call.

Millie stopped her bouncing. “Oh, hey mom! Just getting some fresh air!”

“At two in the morning?”

“Yup!” She really hoped her mother wouldn’t question too much. Though there was the matter of the sheets draped out of her window. _Don’t mention the rope, don’t mention the rope._

“Uh… okay, but why do you have your sheets tied together like a rope hanging out of your window?”

 _Rats! Think Millie, old girl. Quick!_ “To get back in. I didn’t want to disturb you by going out the back door.” _Nice._

Mrs. Frock stared at her daughter as she suspended her disbelief.  “Ah… okay well, I think you should come inside, honey. It’s too late to be out.”

Millie swiftly obliged. “Okay!” 

Just to make sure her mom didn’t ask any further questions, she left her bag outside on the grass. Once she climbed back in the window, her mom was still in her room, sitting on the edge of her bed now for some reason.

“How come you didn’t answer any of my calls? I called you several times.”

Had she? Oops. Millie went the entire evening without ever checking her phone. “Oh! I don’t have my phone on me. It’s on silent anyway. I think I left it in here somewhere.” Millie started looking left and right to make her efforts seem legit. 

“Millie, would you sit with me for just a moment?” Millie’s mom pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose and gave her daughter a look of sincerity as she patted the spot next to her on the bed. Millie was apprehensive, but sat down next to her mother. Was she actually in trouble? 

“I haven’t seen him before,” Her mother commented, eyeing Bakaneko propped up on her bed. Louise still hadn’t returned for her blue buddy.

“Oh, yeah. I won him at the Wharf.” Millie said dismissively. Not the whole truth, but not a lie either. 

Her mother focused her gaze back to Millie and began sweetly, “I noticed you haven’t been sleeping well lately and I’ve been a little concerned. I know you’ve been going to therapy, and I’m sure you don’t want to repeat everything to me, but you don’t talk to me as much anymore, like you used to. I just want to know what’s going on in your life. I just want to know if you’re okay.” 

Wow. She didn’t know what to say to her mother. It’s true, she hadn’t been confiding in her mom as much as she used to, not like she did when she was a kid. But not on purpose. She supposed the urge to tell her things just sort of slipped away once she became besties with Louise. Besides, she didn’t think it really mattered all that much to her mom. After all, it’s not like her dad ever paid her any mind or wanted to listen to her ramble on about her school day. He never had time for her like that. The trampoline, her video games, Muffin, and all the paraphernalia filling her bedroom was evidence enough of that. He’d much rather buy her affection than participate in activities like heart to heart talks. She’d never really considered that her mom felt differently. That her mom actually wanted her to talk to her.

“Has therapy been going well at least?” Mrs. Frock broke through Millie’s thoughts. 

Millie remembered the last time she spoke to her therapist and the conversation they’d had about her feelings for Louise. At first, she’d weighed the possibility of not going back. But now, she may reconsider. “Oh… yeah. I think so.”

“Good. I’m glad.” Her mother rose from the edge of the bed, her left hand gently placed on Millie’s right shoulder. “Well, if you ever forget to say something there, or you can’t wait the week, you can still talk to me, about anything. School, your dreams, your friends, Louise...” She took a small pause, “You know I love you, sweetheart, and I'm happy to listen.” She finished off her talk with a kiss on Millie’s forehead. 

“Thanks, mom.” Millie watched her mother tread towards the door. The pit of her stomach had an odd sinking feeling inside of it, she wasn’t sure what that was about. Why did she feel so uncomfortable? A thought crossed her mind. 

“Hey, mom… I… ” Millie began. She suddenly felt the urge to tell her mother the truth about where she had been. The truth about why she hadn’t been sleeping. The truth about Louise… Louise…. Her mother turned to face her, but the words stalled on their way out.  

“Um… speaking of Louise, would it be alright if I spend the night at her place Saturday?” Millie wasn’t quite ready to divulge all her secrets.

“Of course. But keep your phone on you— off silent mode, please.”

After they said goodnight, Millie waited until her mom closed her bedroom door and took the usual ten steps down the hall into her own room, and  released a long awaited, pent-up sigh, collapsing onto her mattress. She didn’t even bother to get undressed or retrieve her bag from the backyard below. In a matter of seconds she was out, snuggled up next to Bakaneko, she closed her eyes.

 

* * *

 

At last, Saturday night had arrived. Millie couldn’t remember the last time she and Louise had a sleepover. Wait, yes she could, it was exactly four years ago, which was basically an eternity. Whenever they did have a sleepover, it was always at Millie’s place. But tonight, this would be the first time they were going to have a sleepover in Louise’s room. Her first night at the Belcher house! 

 _Bob’s Burgers_ now in front of her, she approached the double-wide window of the restaurant and peered inside. For some reason, Louise told her to meet her in the alley, but she didn’t see any harm in approaching from the front. She had already texted Louise a few times, but hadn’t received a response yet, so she thought it best to check in and see if she was still working. 

Millie brought her face to the glass and stood in the light of the window, watching the family bustle about as they closed up shop. Tina swept the floors while Gene collected plates and finished off the customers’ leftover food. Bob was no doubt in the back cleaning the grill. Linda stood at the register counting the day’s earnings and discussing something with Louise who was leaned over the bar. Ugh, Louise looked so attractive, even in a waitress smock. No, _especially_ in a waitress smock. Millie watched Louise count a small stack of cash that her mother doubtfully handed to her. She stood patiently, waiting for Louise to see her standing outside. _Notice me, notice me, notice me, notice me._

Unfortunately, it was Gene who saw Millie first. He turned to Louise and uttered something to her before carrying the plates to the back. Louise paused her counting, staring past her stack of cash. Her eyes lifted slowly as she spotted Millie gaping through the glass. _Success!_ Millie waved to her friend from the other side. Louise made a hurried, questioning gesture before quickly aborting to stash her earnings in her pocket. She raised her index finger to Millie, letting her know she’d be outside in a minute. Millie, however, was far too excited to stand outside any longer. So excited, she even felt like saying hey to the whole fam.

“Hello Belcher family! I’m here!” Millie sang, as she burst through the front entrance. Everyone froze and stared at the doorway. Even Bob peeked his head through the service window. Louise whipped around and muttered some sort of obscenity to herself. Bob was the first to respond to Millie’s greeting.

“Uh... sorry, we’re closed,” he said flatly.

Linda turned to her husband. “That’s Louise’s little friend, uh…” she paused, “Mindy? Molly? I can’t remember her name.” 

“Millie!” Louise gave a drawn out greeting as she quickly approached her friend with masked frustration. “I thought we were going to meet in the back of the restaurant.”

Millie was still beaming, “then I wouldn’t get to say hello to the rest of your lovely family— Hi Linda!” Millie waved and walked past Louise.

Linda could be heard making an audible “aw” sound in the background. “Hi!” She sang cheerfully. 

Millie waved to the service window next, “Hi, Bob!”

Bob gave Millie an awkward, bewildered hello. Millie looked at Louise’s two siblings and smiled. “Tina. Gene.”

Tina and Gene responded with a “hey” and a “yo,” respectively. 

Millie continued her salutations, working her way into a bar stool seat, despite Louise’s obvious objection. “So, how was business today? Why, I bet customers were flying through here.” 

Bob made a small groan, while Linda gave a more optimistic response. “It was a little slow, but eh, nothing out of the ordinary.”

Millie began to swivel in her seat. “Well, maybe everyone just prefers eating burgers on Sunday instead of Saturday.” 

Linda was making an audible expression of insight when Louise ripped off her own apron and leaned her left elbow on the counter next to Millie. Millie felt a sharp pinch in her side that made her yelp and jolt to her left where Louise was standing. Louise put on a half-smile and asked her, “What is this? What are you doing?” 

Millie looked at Louise and blinked. “What? I’m just being polite.”

Louise stared back. “Uh-huh.” She turned to her parents. “Millie and I are going upstairs now.” Louise grabbed Millie by the arm and dragged her back to the doorway. 

They heard Linda call out before they reached the exit, “Are we making extra dinner tonight or…?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Louise responded. “Millie’s spending the night.” 

Sensing the situation, Millie was quick to respond cheerfully, “Oh that’s okay. I don’t need to eat,” she stated.

“Nonsense, of course you’re gonna eat dinner with us,” Linda reassured her. 

Bob was a bit more complacent. He reappeared through the service window. “I mean, but you don’t _have_ to, you know ...eat, if you don’t feel like it.”

“Bob!” Linda was quick to interject. 

“I mean, yep, that’s fine,” Bob corrected himself, though he could still be heard mumbling from the kitchen. “Would’ve been nice to know ahead of time, but you know, it’s fine.”

“See you all upstairs!” Millie finished off their conversation as Louise rushed her toward the exit. 

 

* * *

 

With each passing year, the bigger Louise got, the smaller her room became. She knew her room was was no master bedchamber, but having two, almost-adult girls occupying her space really put things into perspective. She practically lived inside of a closet. Man, she couldn’t wait for Tina to move out. Of course she loved having her sister around, but honestly, she really wanted to steal her room. Louise needed more space for her replica skeletons, anime posters, and secret knife collection. Oh, and she supposed a closet would also be nice. At least having Millie in her room wasn’t as bad as when Rudy was there. Regular-sized guys were definitely bigger than most girls. 

“I’m sure you can see why I never have anyone over,” Louise explained. 

Millie was standing near the door, gazing at the awesomeness of Louise’s full, but tidy room, awaiting instruction. “It’s small, but it’s got a lot of personality. Much like it’s occupant,” Millie smiled at Louise.

“Heh,” Louise chuckled. “Who you callin’ small? You’re technically shorter than _me_.”

“I know,” Millie continued to smile wryly, “I wasn’t talking about you.”

Louise stared at her guest as she mulled over the quip. She turned away to sit on her bead, but couldn’t help but crack a smile. It was a good comeback. “Shut up and get your butt over here.”

Millie obliged and took a seat on the carpet next to Louise’s nightstand. Louise pulled open the drawer of her bedside table and reached inside. When her hand came out, she was holding something half rectangular, half crumpled foil. A little treat she managed to haggle away from Gene.  

“Ooo! Chocolate!” Millie observed.

“Not just any chocolate,” Louise began. “This chocolate’s got a little som’n-som’n, if you catch my drift.” 

“Almonds,” Millie deviously smiled.

Louise stared at Millie with her right eyebrow raised and a half-smile, knowing how much Millie liked to play dumb. That girl knew damn well she was not talking about almonds.

Louise continued, “No… but it’s got a little extra som’n-som’n, if you’re picking up what I’m putting down.”

“cashews?”

Louise stopped briefly to flip the bar over and scan the ingredients list. “Nope. But it’s got a little som’n-som’n- _som’n_ _else_ … if you’re smelling what I’m cooking.

“Artificial flavoring,” Millie said with confidence.

Louise began unfurling the foil revealing half a chocolate bar that was split into six smaller squares. “Alright, I’m done with this bit.” 

Millie inhaled excitedly before stopping to wonder, “Shouldn’t we wait until after dinner to eat that?” 

Louise peeled back the foil. “Nah, it’ll take forever to kick in. If we eat some now, we’ll probably feel it by the time dinner’s over.” She broke the remainder of the bar in two and handed one piece to Millie.

“Wow, I didn't even know they made chocolate bars with weed inside.” Millie took a bite and immediately tasted the cannabis. It was like someone blew their toke right into her mouth. She started smacking her lips in distaste. “Mm… that’s an interesting flavor.” Still, she finished her piece.

Running her tongue along her teeth, Louise had already swallowed her half. “Yeah, I think I prefer the gummies more.”

A small knock was heard at the room door, followed by Gene peeking through the creaking doorway. “Louise, did you still want the chocolate?”

Louise showed Gene the empty wrapper and yelped “Kobe!” right before she tossed it towards her waste bin— and missed. “Damn,” she said flatly without bothering to pick it up.

“Wait, you ate the rest?” Gene asked. “All of it? Just now?”

Louise shrugged, “Yeah. Don’t act surprised. you said I could have the rest of it, remember?”

Gene looked a little worried, “Yeah, but you’re only supposed to eat, like, a piece of it.”

Louise leaned back on her bed nonchalantly, “Says who?”

“The wrapper,” Gene informed her. “You’re only supposed to eat it a square at a time. I mean, I guess you _could_ have more, but you'd be high as all hell,” he said with such conviction Louise was absolutely certain he must have made that mistake before. 

Louise’s eyes widened. Still laid back on her bed, she looked at Gene. Then she looked at the wrapper on the floor next to her trash. Then she looked at Millie, who was staring back at her. She had just popped the last piece of chocolate into her mouth.

“Wuh-oh,” Louise uttered. “What’s gonna happen to us?”

Gene made a non-reassuring sound accompanied with a shrug.

Louise retracted her doubts. “Eh, it’ll be fine. We’re gonna be in here anyway for the rest of the night once it starts doing it’s thing.”

“Alright,” Gene began to exit, “but if you get into trouble, you didn’t get that chocolate from me.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Louise waved her hand at Gene as he closed the door.

Millie and Louise spent the next thirty minutes laying in her bed and looking at memes as they waited for dinner. Louise had her favorite synth-wave playlist from her pawn shop mp3player coming through her Bluetooth speaker. It was small and cheap, and certainly didn’t do the underlying bass any sort of justice, but it was all she had, so it was good enough. 

Millie put her phone down on her stomach and stared up at the ceiling. She looked lost in her thoughts. “It seems like so long ago since the first time we hung out in your room.” 

“Oh, yeah,” Louise responded, still looking at the family laptop. 

Millie looked to the side where Louise’s shelf was. “I remember you had all of your stuffed friends over there on that shelf— Oh! shoot!” She cut herself off. “I forgot to bring Bakeneko.”

“Ah man, I forgot about him,” Louise replied.

“I know,” Millie shifted to an accusatory tone, “you were supposed to come back to my place for him.”

Louise looked over at her friend and flashed an apologetic smile before quickly returning her focus to the computer. 

Millie gazed back up at the ceiling. “That’s alright. I’ll just hold him hostage until you return for him.” As she laid face up in the bed, she started to get drowsy. “We’ll have lots of fun,” she yawned. “Don’t you hurt my blue boy,” she heard Louise say next to her as she tried to keep her eyes from closing.

Louise looked to her left. Millie was laying there with her eyes closed. Was she asleep already? Louise sat up with her weight rested on her elbow. Putting The laptop away, she shifted her interest to Millie. She always looked so content when she was asleep, Louise thought. Almost sweet and innocent. No evil grin or dubious comebacks coming from her lips.

_Her lips._

Louise figured there was one way to know for sure if Millie was guilty. Curiosity got the best of her as she leaned over her friend. 

Millie lay there still and motionless. She felt as though she had weights attached to her head and wrists, sinking into the mattress like a watermelon through a pool of Jello. Oh, no… she knew this feeling. It seemed Louise’s calculations were a little off. That chocolate was really seeping in. Unable to fight the heaviness anymore, she closed her eyes. Sound waves from the music playing rippled through her body. 

She tried to swallow, but her mouth was unreasonably dry. Instead, she licked her lips. A warm presence hovered over her, like a soft blanket. The warmth traveled over her legs, past her torso and her head. Suddenly, the heat intensified as it touched her lips! She peeled open her eyes as quickly as the weed would let her.

On top of her was Louise, her dark eyes gaping into Millie’s half-lidded light ones. Millie gathered all of her strength and sat up, never taking her eyes off of her... prince charming? Was she dreaming? Did Louise really just kiss her?

 _SMACK_        

Louise slapped Millie clear across her face. She was awake now. 

“It WAS you! I _knew_ it was you!” Louise bellowed.

Millie whipped her head back and gawked at Louise with her cheek glowing red.

_SMACK_

Millie returned the slap, to Louise’s utter shock. Searing red pain began to throb inside of her face. Louise scoffed, “You dare slap ME?! You can’t slap _me_!” She went in for another hit, but Millie grabbed her wrist before she could make contact. Even while stoned, she could deflect Louise’s impulses like a reflex.

“You slapped me first!” Millie corrected her.

“Yeah, ‘cause you kissed me!”

“No, _you_ just just kissed _me!”_

“I’m talking about before! You kissed me when we were stuck at that house in the dark!”

Millie was speechless “wh-what? I would never—”

“Oh cut the crap, Millie.” Louise peered into her big dumb lying eyes. “ _I know you like me._ ”

Millie’s eyes indeed betrayed her as she sat there stupefied. They widened ever so slightly, her irises tightened just enough that Louise could see the “oh shit” moment occurring behind them. _Got her._

“Oh, you look a little surprised,” Louise continued triumphantly, “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue, bitch?”

A sudden coolness washed over Millie’s face. She was too far gone to even try to continue the charade. “No…” She smirked, “but you almost did.”

Louise’s entire face went red. “You… _you_ ….” She couldn’t even find the words as she broke into a hysterical laugh that formed from a mix of rage and embarrassment. “Fuck… you.”

Millie continued to sneer at her knowingly, without blinking, she giggled, “My goodness, you could at least take me out to dinner first, but I mean if that’s what you want…” She looked even more smug with her blazed, semi-eclipsed stare.

Louise leered at her. She grabbed Millie by her neck, pushed her up against the wall, and stared into her big dumb eyes one more time. God, they were so big, and so green, and so… _dumb_. Millie seemed almost unaffected, preparing herself for whatever Louise was going to do next. Suddenly, the tenseness of the situation was too much for her to handle. Millie couldn’t contain herself any longer. Staring Louise directly in the eye, she let out the faintest whisper, “I’m… _high…_ ”

Still propped up against the wall like a doll decorating the bed, Millie started to giggle. Her laughter escalated into a full blown fit of laughter that eventually spread to Louise, “He-he-he-he…. ha-ha-ha-ha-HA!” She released her grip and fell backward. Once her head hit the mattress, she could feel the weight descend upon her. Her brain began to float away. The chocolate was working it’s way into her system too. They were both cracking up. 

Millie’s laughter grew silent as she struggled to breathe. Tears began to form at the corners of her clenched eyes until her laughter transformed into outright sobbing. She clearly couldn’t control herself. 

Louise settled down and noticed Millie laughter-sobbing. Lobbing? Yeah, that’s what she decided to call it. _Huh._ _Laughing and crying are so similar_ , she thought. Crying was like laughter’s sad dark twin. Like love and hate. Or sugar and salt. Or Louise and Millie…. Yep, she was definitely high. 

This was strange. Had she ever seen Millie cry before? She couldn’t recall. Louise grabbed her shoulders and tried to shake it out of her. Millie finally took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. 

“You okay?” Louise asked her friend.

Millie stared into space. “Am I a monster?” 

Louise didn’t know how to respond to such an unexpected question. Millie wasn’t a monster, not really. Occasionally, she could be a pain, and a bit off the wall, but she wasn’t truly malicious. “Nah…” Louise slurred, “Well, except for maybe that one time you almost choked Abby in fourth grade.” 

Millie exhaled with a whimper. Louise could see the remorse in her big dumb stoned eyes. Her friend was struggling with something that she didn’t want to talk about.

“Are you really mad about what happened at the house?” Millie asked sheepishly.

 _Oh yeah, that was how this whole night started_ , Louise reminded herself. “Eh. It’s whatever.” Louise dragged herself next to the curly blonde mess on her bed. “Besides, I kissed you while you were unconscious, so I guess we’re even.”

“Louise?” Millie turned her head.

“Yeah?” Louise continued to stare at the ceiling.

“I think… I like you.”

Louise exhaled, “Yeah, I kinda figured that out, remember?” She turned her heavy head to face Millie’s sad eyes. “Why do you always have to make everything so complicated?” She took a good look at her sexually frustrated friend wiping away the tears, and shook her head, “you are such a mess.”

On the surface, Millie was somewhat of a neat freak. A perfectionist. But emotionally… good god. The girl didn’t have a psychiatrist for nothing. All Millie could do was give her friend an accepting shrug.

“Just tell me one thing,” Louise spoke, “how’d you do it? The banging and all that?”

Millie tilted her gaze and plainly stated, “I used your hammer.” 

 _The hammer_. Louise had forgot about that. But it still didn't explain the other noises they heard while trapped in that room. 

Millie continued, “I don’t know about the scraping from upstairs, it didn’t come from me. That's when I decided to use the opportunity, but I wasn’t planning on kissing you.” She sat up a little, leaning herself against the pillows. “I was only planning on spooking Rudy a bit to be honest. But then you reached for the hammer and you were so close… I just... I had to know...” 

They were both quiet for a moment while the music gently hummed. Millie’s last words bounced around inside Louise’s brain. Then Millie spoke slowly and clearly, “Sorry for kissing you in the dark.” 

What’s this? An apology? From _Millie?_ A surrender. Sweet, sweet surrender. Something suddenly came over Louise. Was it pitty? No, that didn’t seem right. She couldn’t quite place the feeling she was having. Louise took another look at her friend as she wiped her cheek. Millie’s eye lashes were really prominent now, all spiky and wet. How did she manage to still look cute while crying? Not that Louise thought she was usually _that_ cute to begin with. Just like, regular cute, whatever that meant. She knew “cute” was probably the last word she would use to describe Millie’s personality, but damn if the girl didn’t fool everyone with that face of hers. Seriously though, who the hell looks cute when they cry? Fucking nobody. Louise felt the urge to touch Millie’s face again. This time not to slap it, but to hold it. She tried not to think too much about her compulsion, but then thought… _why?_

Within seconds, quite a few seconds actually, being that Louise was high as a kite, she found herself leaned over Millie, locking lips with her. She had kissed Rudy before, once when they were kids, and again last summer. His lips were firm but squishy, and sort of meaty. Not at all like Millie’s. Her lips were soft and smooth, like two warm silk pillows, melting into her. She didn’t know what possessed her to start making out with this girl. _Millie_ , of all people. This was the one girl who irritated Louise more than most anyone else. Or used to anyway. These days she had a habit of verbally tripping Louise up with her unpredictability. Which still irritated louise, but always put her wits to the test. She supposed that was why she kept her around. She could at least say this, she’d never been bored around Millie, which, for Louise, was no easy thing for others to accomplish. 

Damn, Millie smelled kinda good, too. She’d never really noticed before. The kind of soft, flowery, marshmallowy smell you could only sense if you happened to be right up on it. Maybe it was her laundry detergent, or her hair conditioner, or even her deodorant? Whatever it was made Louise want to be on top of her. She could feel Millie melting underneath. Was she turned on by the smell of fryer grease and ketchup? Probably.

Louise kind of hated what was happening. She wanted Millie to go away, but simultaneously stay. She didn’t know what she was feeling for her friend. Her thoughts where just as confusing as Millie was a person. Complicated as she was however, Louise had at least figured out one thing: Millie was totally into her… like _that._ She tried to rationalize the situation as best she could. _Millie just smelled good. The weed made me do it. I always get horny right before my period._ There were plenty of excuses swirling around the back of her brain, but only reasoning she was willing to fully accept was that this new found power she had over her smitten friend felt _so_ _good_.

Millie’s lips were beginning to press so hard she could feel her retainer resting on her teeth behind them. She felt a sharp pinch on her bottom lip.

“Ow!” Louise exclaimed, “Did you just bite me?”

Millie flashed a devilish grin.

“Bitch,” Louise returned her smile before diving back in. 

“Wait.” Millie stopped her. She put two fingers inside her mouth and pulled out her retainer, trying to keep the spit contained. “Much better,” she finished.

Louise smirked, “Gross.” Something devious about Millie made her want to put her hand back around the girl’s neck, but not threateningly. Millie didn’t seem to mind. Actually, Louise was pretty certain her kinky ass liked it. And for some reason, that thought made Louise way too excited.

They were both not the best kissers, with Louise having only had two previous lip to lip interactions and Millie having none, well except for the surprise kiss she planted. The weed in their system also didn’t offer any cooperation. They were so into their awkward kissing they barely noticed the jolting sound of the door knob turning. 

“Louise, could you turn the music down just a little—“

Bob’s head peered through the doorway. His eyes were wide at the sight before him. “Oh. Uh ...”

Stoned as she was, Louise managed to leap up away from Millie toward the edge of her bed and reached to turn down her speaker before scolding her father.

“Dad! What the hell, you know you’re supposed to knock!”

“I did! you weren’t answering. I didn’t know you were um… yeah. Sorry for uh… interrupting. Also, dinner’s ready.”

Louise let out a frustrated moan while he turned away, almost shutting the door before leaning back into her room.

“I’m gonna close this door.” He gave it some thought, then asked Louise, “Should I close this door?”

“I would prefer that.” She said plainly. “I would also prefer a vow of silence about what you _didn’t_ see here.”

“Right. Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell your mom.” 

“Good.”

Bob left the room, closing the door behind him. The two girls fell into another giggle fit upon his exit. 

Their laughter eventually petered out into a moment of silence, until Millie asked, “why wouldn’t you want your mom to know?”

Out of the four other members of her family that could have walked in on them, she was certainly glad it was Bob. Gene’s a blabber mouth, and Tina would never give it a rest with her silent smiles and constant staring. And Linda... oh god no...

Louise exhaled, “You know my mom. I just don’t want her to turn things into a whole production with me and you.”

Millie considered Louise’s words. “Me and you?” 

Louise lifted her head to look at her friend. _Her and Millie._  Oh, fuck. Were they a thing now? No… right? All they did was make out. Does that mean they’re together? Did she want to be with Millie? She didn’t even know if she would be cut out for a relationship, let alone one with Millie, who would no doubt be one mistake of a heart to break. Millie was definitely the type to burn her and all her worldly possessions while cackling over the ashes had she ever felt betrayed. Though to be honest, Louise knew she would do the same. But it’s not like she would break Millie’s heart. Would she? No. Maybe? But not on purpose. _Augh!_ it was too much responsibility!

This wasn’t fair. Millie had plenty of time to know how she felt about Louise. Millie had been hard core crushing on her since they were kids, even if she didn’t know it at the time. But Louise was just now getting acquainted with seeing Millie in a way she’d never, EVER dreamed of seeing her before. How could she make that choice? Not to mention, just now getting a small glimpse of her growing sexuality. At one point she assumed she was straight, then maybe asexual, but now… Louise let out a sigh. It was just like Millie to stir the pot. 

“I’m too high for this,” Louise let slip. Millie watched her as she slowly rose to a standing position. Louise held her hand out to Millie and helped her off the bed. When Millie stood, she almost tripped, which caused her to giggle again. Not only were they about to be higher than high during dinner, but now her dad knew all about their little make-out session. “Oh my god,” Louise began, “we're so fucked for this dinner.” 

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Millie slurred, putting her hand on Louise’s face, she sweetly kissed her on the cheek. To Louise’s own surprise, she didn’t hate it.

Millie sauntered past her to the doorway as Louise remained fixed. She followed Millie with her eyes and gazed at her with new found attraction one last time before leaving the privacy of her bedroom. She knew exactly what she was feeling, and it was terrifying. A final thought swirled in her mind as she tagged along behind. 

_I’m so dead._

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so... I made the reference in this chapter to Kobe Bryant before his tragic helicopter accident. RIP Kobe Bryant. 
> 
> As Always, thanks for reading.


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